Türkiye set to launch first astronaut to International Space Station

The Turkish Space Agency (TUA) was established on December 13, 2018, to develop space technology.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced the National Space Programme on February 9, 2021, with the slogan “Look up to the Sky and See the Moon."

The programme includes goals such as sending a rover developed with national technologies to the surface of the Moon, an indigenous satellite development programme, development of a regional positioning and timing system, access to space and a spaceport programme.

Selected from a pool of applicants, Alper Gezeravcı, a skilled fighter pilot, will carry the hopes and dreams of his nation as he embarks on his historic journey. He and his team will conduct 13 scientific experiments aboard the ISS, collaborating with TÜBİTAK Space, Axiom Space, and NASA.

“What is important for the people is to remember that their country is determined enough to take a step into the future and to dream not to the limits of the sky but to the depths of space,” Alper Gezeravcı said. (ILKHA)